(UK) Cambridge: Students to pay for ASD, ADHD assessments; demand increasing

Sept 14, 2023, Cambridge Varsity: Pembroke to reduce funding for ADHD and autism assessments https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/26055

Students will be expected to start contributing to the costs of treatment and assessments for ADHD and autism

Staff at Pembroke have privately announced that they are reducing the funding available for ADHD and autism assessments.

Students will now be asked to contribute 10% of their medical costs, including any assessments or counselling they receive. Previously, the college had covered 100% of these bills.

Under the new policy, students will be required to apply to the university’s Medical Support Fund (provided by Crane’s Charity) for treatment and assessments costing more than £500. The college has told Varsity that if a student is experiencing financial difficulty, they will still be able to apply for 100% of the cost to be covered by the college.

Pembroke staff claim that their policy is in line with practices at other colleges. However, sources present at the meeting in which the change was announced have stressed that this is a departure from the usual policy at Pembroke….

With demand for autism and ADHD assessments increasing in recent years, NHS waitlists have often become too long for a diagnosis to be of use for access arrangements during a student’s time at Cambridge. This has driven many students to seek private assessments that cost between £800 [$1,000] and £1200 [$1,500]….